Golden, light, and healthy, sunflower oil is the most cherished vegetable oil. One of the principal reasons people prefer it to most is that it contains more Vitamin E than the rest. It also contains omega six fats, hence, making it the people’s healthy choice.
However, amidst all the above positivity and more comes the question, is sunflower oil flammable?
From a technical point of view, sunflower oil is not flammable, but it can catch fire because it has a flashpoint around 400 – 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
In this post, we look at sunflower oil and its flammability levels!
Contents
What is Sunflower Oil?
Sunflower oil is a vegetable oil primarily used for cooking, intense frying, shallow frying, baking, roasting, and cosmetic productions.
It is a non-explosive oil squeezed out from the seeds of the sunflower plant, botanically known as Helianthus annuus.
Sunflower oil is generally available in three varieties: organic, cold-pressed, and high-oleic sunflower oil.
In other words, it is being modified to be richer in oleic acid, which improves the good monounsaturated fat content and makes it healthier for the heart.
In 2018, world production of sunflower oil was 18 million tonnes, and at the time, its greatest producers were Ukraine and Russia, with both accounting for 53% of the global total.
Meanwhile, sunflower oil contains a massive amount of Vitamin E, more than every other vegetable oil.
Sunflower oil is liquid at room temperature. When refined, the oil is clear and slightly amber-colored with a slightly fatty odor.
Four types of sunflower oils that differ in fatty acids concentrations and are manufactured through plant breeding and industrial processing include high-linoleic, high-oleic, mid-oleic, and high-stearic combined with high-oleic, back to the previous question.
Is Sunflower Oil Flammable?
Although like most other vegetable oils, sunflower oil can catch fire, it is not technically flammable.
According to research, it has a flashpoint of about 400-450 degrees Fahrenheit, which is not considered a combustible liquid.
What Is the Flashpoint of Sunflower Oil?
Many people do not understand what a flashpoint of any liquid is, which is why we’ve to define a flashpoint briefly.
A flashpoint is simply the temperature at which an oil creates flammable vapors that, when exposed to heat, can cause a fire.
Generally, the average flash point temperature of all vegetable oils, including peanut, soybean, palm, cottonseed, sunflower, safflower, coconut, etc., cannot be higher than 600-650 degrees Fahrenheit (315-320 Celsius).
For sunflower oil, its flashpoint should be around 400 Fahrenheit (182 degrees Celsius).
That is to say that it is not considered flammable because it burns at close to 400 degrees above the Fahrenheit temperature mark (199.4 degrees) that can cause flammability.
In other words, assuming it burns below the 199.4 degrees mark in the presence of a flame, then that means it can be flammable.
Some people equally believe that any cooking oil like sunflower oil vapor could cause a fire outbreak, becoming more flammable.
While they may be correct, it is also clear that cooking oil must not always evaporate at temperatures below the flashpoint in any significant quantities.
There’s absolutely no way you can ignite or set fire to something that you can’t find found; hence, cooking oil, including sunflower oil, is still combustible yet not technically flammable.
Can Sunflower Oil Ever Catch Fire?
Quite simply, sunflower oil can catch fire or even burn. When you consider what cooking has done to so many homes in terms of fire outbreaks, you wouldn’t argue against the possibility of vegetable oils, including sunflower oil, catching fire.
In fact, according to research, cooking results in almost 49% of all domestic fires, and frying with oil makes up a higher percentage of those fires. Whenever you notice an oil smoking, it’s a sign that something disastrous is about to occur.
Whenever a sunflower oil starts smoking, it’s a proof that it is at its smoke point. In other words, it is almost at its flashpoint, where the oil can catch the fire of flame up.
Especially if you are cooking over a gas flame, at that point, is when you might release a vapor that is enough for the oil to combust or catch fire.
Another negative aspect of sunflower oil is its release of potentially toxic compounds upon being heated to temperatures of 356°F (180°C) repeatedly, such as in deep-frying applications, which can make it catch fire easily.
Sunflower oil is often used in high heat cooking, as it has a high smoke point, which is the temperature at which it starts to smoke and break down. However, studies show that a high smoke point does not correspond with an oil’s stability under heat.
One thing about vegetable oils, including sunflower oil, is that they can hardly be quenched once they flame up. In other words, you may require a recommended extinguisher to quench oil fires.
Don’t forcefully put out the fire by using any other means to avoid more disastrous effects like spreading the fire.
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